Back to wellnesspathgo

Important safety information

Understand your treatment before you start.

GLP-1 medicines can be effective for some people, but they are prescription therapies with important risks, contraindications, and monitoring needs. This page provides general information about semaglutide, tirzepatide, and related treatments. It does not replace the prescribing information for your medication or advice from your licensed clinician.

Medical emergency? Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. For a suspected medication error or adverse reaction, contact your prescribing clinician promptly. Do not wait for an online response.

Before taking a GLP-1 medicine

Tell your clinician about every prescription and over-the-counter medicine, vitamin, supplement, and relevant health condition. Your clinician—not wellnesspathgo—decides whether treatment is appropriate and which medication, dose, and schedule to use.

Do not use if contraindicated

  • Do not use semaglutide or tirzepatide if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), or if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
  • Do not use a medication if you have had a serious allergic reaction to its active ingredient or another component.
  • Do not combine a GLP-1 medicine with another GLP-1 receptor agonist or a product containing the same active ingredient unless your clinician specifically directs it.

Share your medical history

  • Tell your clinician about pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney disease, severe gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, and prior allergic reactions.
  • Tell your clinician if you are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or breastfeeding. Weight-loss treatment should not be used during pregnancy.
  • Tell your anesthesia or surgical team if you take a GLP-1 medicine because delayed stomach emptying may affect procedures requiring sedation or anesthesia.

Symptoms that need prompt medical attention

Stop and seek urgent medical advice for severe, persistent, or worsening symptoms. Call 911 for trouble breathing, swelling of the face/lips/tongue/throat, fainting, or other signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Severe abdominal symptoms

Severe abdominal pain that does not go away, with or without vomiting, may be a sign of pancreatitis. Upper abdominal pain with fever, jaundice, or pale stools may indicate gallbladder disease.

Dehydration or kidney problems

Persistent vomiting or diarrhea can cause dehydration and worsen kidney function. Contact your clinician if you cannot keep fluids down, urinate much less, or feel unusually weak or dizzy.

Low blood sugar

The risk is higher when a GLP-1 medicine is used with insulin or a sulfonylurea. Watch for sweating, shaking, fast heartbeat, dizziness, confusion, or blurred vision, and follow your clinician’s glucose plan.

Vision, heart rate, or thyroid changes

Report new vision changes, a racing heartbeat at rest, or a neck lump, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath to your clinician.

Common side effects

Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain, decreased appetite, and other gastrointestinal effects can occur, especially during dose increases. Your clinician can explain what is expected, how to support hydration and nutrition, and when symptoms are not routine.

Use only the prescribed dose and schedule

Never increase a dose, change the concentration, convert units, or take an extra dose on your own. Ask your clinician or dispensing pharmacy to show you exactly how to measure and administer your medication. Never share a pen, vial, syringe, or needles.

Compounded medication information

Compounded medicines are not FDA-approved. FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before marketing in the way it reviews approved medicines. A compounded preparation may be considered only when a patient’s medical needs cannot be met by an available FDA-approved product and must be prescribed and dispensed under applicable law.

Important safeguards

  • Use only medication prescribed for you and dispensed by the identified, state-licensed pharmacy.
  • Confirm the active ingredient, concentration, dose, units, storage instructions, beyond-use date, and injection supplies before use.
  • Do not use products labeled retatrutide or cagrilintide as substitutes for approved therapies; FDA states these are not components of FDA-approved drugs and cannot be used in compounding under federal law.
  • Report suspected medication errors or adverse events to your clinician and FDA MedWatch.

Pregnancy, contraception, and breastfeeding

Tell your clinician before starting treatment if you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. Semaglutide should be discontinued at least two months before a planned pregnancy. Tirzepatide may reduce the effectiveness of oral hormonal contraceptives after starting treatment and after dose increases; ask your clinician about backup or non-oral contraception. The benefits and risks of treatment while breastfeeding should be discussed with your clinician.

Questions and authoritative resources

Your clinician and dispensing pharmacy are the right sources for medication-specific instructions. For additional public-health information, review the FDA’s GLP-1 safety information, the FDA alert about compounded semaglutide dosing errors, and FDA MedWatch.